User @ domain.tld as ID (Once again)
mike at plan99.net
Thu Nov 3 03:23:27 PST 2005
On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 22:49:28 -0800, Brad Fitzpatrick wrote:
> Anybody care to write up a FAQ on the Wiki?
I would, in fact I was wondering why the Wiki didn't mention it as it's
such an obvious question, but so far I'm not sure what the actual answer
Answers/criticisms so far seem to include:
* "OpenID is based on URLs, therefore using email addresses makes no sense"
This isn't an answer. It's circular logic and convinces no-one.
* "Even with a mapping function, it won't work for everybody"
Why not? If you can use both email address and URL I don't see why it
* "Centralisation is evil"
Yes, but so is lack of backwards compatibility which is all it'd be used
for. And OpenID already relies upon a central authority to provide DNS
* "People aren't comfortable with email addresses anyway"
This appears to be wild speculation. How do we know they aren't?
Email addresses are ubiquitous anyway, so even if they aren't
ideal it's a bit late now. Sites that require their own usernames
seem to be more an artifact of culture than anything else, ie "everybody
does it that way, so that's what I'll do too". I personally hate having
to dream up magic usernames that are somehow always taken for every site
I visit especially given that most sites require an email address
anyway. Why not just use that as my username dammit?!
* "Why bother?"
The rationale was already stated.
* "People without a homepage shouldn't use OpenID"
Huh?! This one seems nonsensical to me.
* "Magic URLS are bad"
And so on .... why don't you, the creator, state the reason and THEN we
can put your opinion on the wiki?
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